


Destiny Noodle

by aralliya



Series: Voltron Highshool AU [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Daydreaming, Dreamscape Zine, F/M, First Meetings, Fluff, he also panics a lot, hunk's a cutie, long distance, pining for a second I guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-09-26 20:47:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17148842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aralliya/pseuds/aralliya
Summary: "A month into his first year of high school, Hunk had tried to order Chinese food. Instead, he met Shay. Somehow, he’d mixed up the numbers; mistaking a five for a two, or a nine for an eight. He doesn’t quite remember, but knows he owes Lance’s messy scrawl for the chance encounter."Now, months later. He finally gets to meet her.He's not quite sure he's ready.It'll be a long train ride.





	Destiny Noodle

**Author's Note:**

> AA!!  
> So this is my submission for the Dreamscape Zine!  
> It's been an honour to work with my lovely partner Sissiart to create this story. There is art embedded into the fic, done by her!!  
> Thank you so much to everyone who bought the zine, and supported us along the way!  
> But yeah Sissi is kicking as heck and i'm still in tears that I got to work with her. Please check on her insta in the endnotes!  
> As always, please enjoy!

A month into his first year of high school, Hunk had tried to order Chinese food. Instead, he met Shay. Somehow, he’d mixed up the numbers; mistaking a five for a two, or a nine for an eight. He doesn’t quite remember, but knows he owes Lance’s messy scrawl for the chance encounter.

  
One embarrassing conversation (including a full food and drink order) and a handful of apology messages later, Shay was a constant presence in his phone, and his laptop.

  
Even though he spent the better part of his time messaging her, they hadn’t met each other in person yet. And after that first embarrassing and short conversation, they hadn’t spoken on the phone again.

  
After a while, she’d convinced him to download Snapchat. He’d seen pictures of her in selfies she’d sent and when checking her story. But it wasn’t until four months in to their online friendship that she finally convinced him to call.

  
He’d been laying in bed, waiting with baited breath as the phone rang. After the first ring, halfway through the second, she’d picked up.

Her voice was quiet, but he could hear the hesitancy there as well. “Hello?”

The silence hung in the air between them, stretching until he felt his glass heart crack, and then quickly shatter. Her voice was just as soft this time; quiet in the late hours of the night. He could hear her breathe on the other side of the line, heard her suck in a breath to say something new.

  
That first call lasted 30 seconds. Hunk had been so nervous, the sound of her voice deafening to his hyperactive mind, he’d accidentally hung up on her. He laid there, with his palm resting flat against his forehead, taking deep breaths. He could feel the phone vibrating, a few messages being sent his way. When he’d finally called her back, the call was three hours in before he realized just how calm she made him feel, how quickly his nerves relaxed and his heart steadied. Most of their conversations after that last just as long, if not longer.

  
They talk everyday, and Hunk starts to fall in love.

  
Shay is sweet, and she’s patient. She’s a good listener, and she has a delicate voice. She’d kind, smart, and beautiful. The first time he’d seen her, it was during lunch on a Friday. He’d been sitting outside at school, listening to Lance rant on about some kid with a mullet in his gym class that he’d accidentally given a black eye, when his phone sounded off with a  notification from Shay.

  
She was sitting around with her own friends, at what looked to be a football field. She was smiling into the camera, short hair pushed back behind her ears. She wore large hoop earrings, and freckles painted their way across the bridge or her nose, and down her cheeks.

  
He’d spent the entire lunch blushing, explaining to Lance in as many ways as he could that Shay is the most beautiful being on this earth.

  
Lance had laughed, teased him, but eventually convinced Hunk to tell her just that.

  
She’d blushed in her next snap, and Hunk felt like he was walking on stars. From then on, their conversations were softer, more heartfelt. When before, he felt like he was tip toeing around an invisible boundary. While it was easy to talk to her before, to confide in her, now it felt natural. It was effortless to be honest in his feelings towards her. It was difficult to believe that she might feel the same way.

  
One night, Hunk is laying in bed, phone pressed to the side of his ear, with Shay’s soft voice filtering in through the speaker. It’s routine now, to call the other and wish them a good night.

She says, “It would be nice to meet you, someday.”

  
Hunk’s breath catches in his throat. It’s not that they hadn’t talked about it before, but they _hadn’t talked about it before_. There were mentions, here and there. Ideas tossed around of fun things they would do together, places Hunk wanted to take her to, places Shay wanted him to see. But they had never said it outright; never planned for an encounter.

  
Hunk had thought about it more times than he could count. Thought about how it would feel to see her, face to face. To be an arms length away, to just be close to her.

  
He’s thought about it, and he wants it.

  
Hunk smiles, “I’d like to meet you, too.”

  
Three nights later, they find a weekend not far off where they’re both free. They plan a trip. Shay’s boarding school is four hours away, so they plan to meet Saturday afternoon at the train station in Shay’s town. Shay has three roommates, all gone for the holiday, so Hunk is set to sleep on the pull-out couch in their communal area. The following Monday is a holiday, so they plan for the entire weekend to themselves. Hunk’s train leaves at 8:00 A.M, and his friends decide to be the ones to drive him there. Keith’s older brother, Shiro, is their designated driver to the train station over twenty minutes away.

  
When Shiro’s jeep rolls into his driveway, Lance is the first to leap out of the car. Hunk is waiting just outside his door, and meets Lance halfway.

  
“Today’s the day!” he shouts, pulling Hunk into a one armed hug. He eyes the bags near Hunks feet and laughs. “Think you packed enough?”

  
“Well, you know,” he starts, tightening the head band around his head, “you never know what you’ll need?”

  
Lance just rolls his eyes, “Sure there, big guy.”

  
Pidge is next to leave the car. He can see Shiro and Keith leave the car as well, the two a step behind.

  
Shiro moves to his bags, picking them both up easily and moving to the back of the trunk.

  
“Are you excited?” Keith asks once he’s standing in front of him.

  
Pidge laughs, “You didn’t hear him on Skype last night, did you?”

  
Hunk crosses his arms and blushes, “Yeah, well. You would be too if you were on your way to meet the most amazing girl in the world. For the first time, may I add.” A beat passes, and suddenly Hunk is slumping forward, hand moving to support himself on Pidge’s shoulder. “On second thought, I’m not excited. This is terrifying. I’m going to meet Shay. I don’t think I can do this.”

“That was quick,” Pidge laughs.

  
Lance nods sagely, throwing his hands behind his head, “Yeah, he’s got it bad.”

  
“Hunk, you’ll be fine.” Shiro says, coming up behind their small group. “It’s been what, five months? Six?”

  
Hunk nods, taking a deep breath. He was a realist, and if something could go wrong, it likely would. But in all those months talking to Shay, not once had he felt anxious in where he stood in relation to her. Not once had he questioned what he meant to her. She made him feel wanted and safe. He hoped he made her feel the same.

  
“Alright, everyone. Pack it in.” Shiro says, heading back to the car.

  
Instantly, Keith and Lance turn towards the car, pushing and shoving towards the front seat. Pidge rolls her eyes, easily strolling past them. She tosses a, “shotgun!” over her shoulder as she goes. She laughs when their shoulders drop in synch with a sigh.  
Hunk is in the back, head leaning against the window with Lance beside him. He can feel his nerves skyrocket once the car starts rolling.

  
Only a few more hours, and he’d see her. Hunk is terrified, but he’s also never felt more excited in his life.

 

* * *

 

  
  
When they’re standing on the train platform, Hunk is having a hard time breathing. He’d gotten a text from Shay on the drive, letting him know that all her roommates had left, and she was cleaning up the area for him to sleep. The idea that she too was preparing for him to come made everything all that more real.

  
“You going to be alright there, buddy?” Lance asks, taking a step forward to rest his hand on Hunks shoulder.

  
Hunk nods quickly, staring at the train as it prepares for passengers to board. He’s gripping his bag in his hands, squeezing until his knuckles go white. “What if she doesn’t like me?”

 

“Are you crazy?” Lance asks. “What’s not to like?”

  
Hunk scratches the back of his head, nervously shifting his weight. “What if I’m not what she thinks I am?”

  
“Hunk,” Pidge starts, moving to stand beside him opposite Lance. “She’s liked you so far, why would that change now?”

  
Hunk can see Shiro and Keith nod their heads in sync to his right.

  
He takes a deep breath, and nods his head. He’s known to get anxious in these situations, and he doesn’t deal with the unknown as well as he should. But meeting Shay is bigger than any of his past worries.

  
“Look,” Lance starts. He moves to stand in front of him, grabbing both of his shoulders. “She’d be crazy not to like you, and, dude, we already know that she does. This is just another step in your crazy internet love story.” Lance knocks his fist against Hunks bicep, smiling. “Things will be fine, Hunk. You know her better than any of us. Is she the type of person to go back on everything she’s said about you after one meeting?”

  
Hunk smiles, “No. She’s not.”

  
Lance takes a step back and links his fingers behind his head. “Exactly! So go meet the love of your life, and woo her into those nice, strong arms of yours.”

  
Hunk laughs, and feels a bit of his anxiety drain away. In that moment, an announcer comes onto the P.A, announcing that the train was ready to board.

  
He says goodbye to his friends, and they send him off with hugs and good wishes of their own. Boarding the train, he can feel his heartbeat in his throat, and it’s beating in the palms of his hands. He’s excited, he realizes. Because the next time he steps off the train, it’ll be four hours away from home, but with Shay.

  
The train is cozy, sitting four people in each compartment. Two seats together and facing the other two in their section. The interior is made of different shades of red, the lining gold and silver. Hunk finds his seat easily, sitting closer to the back but at a window seat. Once he’s settled in, he can see his friends from the window seat. They’re waving, and Hunk can’t help but giggle as Pidge climbs up on Shiro’s back, waving from above them all.

  
They spend about five minutes making faces at each other before the train is on it’s way. As the train starts moving, he shoots a text to Shay.

  
  
Hunk 8:02 A.M.  
The trains leaving now  
I’m on my way!

  
As he settles into his seat, his phone vibrates.

  
Shay 8:03 A.M.  
I am excited to see you soon :)

  
Hunk hides a giggle, a wave of excitement surfing through him. While he can still feel the anxiety settling heavy amongst those giddy feelings, he lets the smile he’s been fighting stretch across his lips. Hunk rests an elbow on the side of the window, hand cradling his cheek. As the train gathers speed, the forestry surrounding the station fades into an amalgamation of greens. It’s distracting, but calming. Quickly, he types out a response.

  
Hunk 8:06 A.M.  
I’ll let you know when I’m at the station!!  
See you soon <3

 

Hunk sets his phone on his lap, and settles in for the trip. It’s still early morning, but the suns risen enough for him to see it break through the cracks in the tree line. It’s harsh on his eyes, but beautiful nonetheless. He thinks about Shay, and hopes that she’s seeing the same view as he is. He stares out the window for a while, his eyes unseeing as the scenery changes.

  
Despite the unusual setting in which they had met, Shay had never been to an actual Chinese food restaurant. Across from Shay’s boarding school, and just a short bus ride away from the station, sits Vrepit Sal. Hunk likes to think of it as his favourite Chinese food place. Conveniently, it was also the restaurant Hunk had tried to call the first time, when instead he’d called Shay. He plans on guiding them there after they meet at the station. Already, the food has a special meaning to them. He hopes to make it mean more.

  
Sighing, he pictures Shay and himself heading there. While they walk down the street, Hunk wonders if she would let him hold her hand. He thinks of himself telling her a joke, sees her cover her mouth as she giggles, pushing her chin length hair behind her ear.

  
Daydream Hunk tells her, “I think you’re beautiful, and I think we are meant to be together.”

  
Real world Hunk giggles, and covers his smile with the hand leaning against the window. He catches the lady sitting across from him sending a shady side eye, but he’s happy. So he doesn’t care.  
Falling back into his thoughts, he sighs happily.

  
Her hands would be soft, he thinks. With callouses on her palms from the many DIY projects he knows she loves to make, or from the pottery classes she attends every Tuesday night. She’s a hard worker, and she’s extremely creative. Of all the arts he knows she excels in, cooking is not one of them.

  
He thinks of the pictures she’d sent to him, of the burnt Mac N’ Cheese, the deteriorating noodles. Even the easiest microwave dinner she has effectively destroyed.

  
But then he pictures himself standing in her kitchen. They’re cooking together, Shay chopping the vegetables while he cooks the meat over the stove. She’s humming softly, to a tune he doesn’t quite recognize. But it’s sweet, and Hunk thinks he could listen to it for hours.

  
In his mind, he sees himself turn to her and smile. He’d wrap his arms around her waist, kissing her cheek. She would laugh a little, and he’d tell her how happy she makes him.

  
Shay’s hands wouldn’t slow, but she would relax farther into him. “I’m just chopping vegetables.”

  
“Yeah,” he would respond. “But you still make me happy.”

  
She would laugh and kiss him.

  
It’s startling how red the thought makes him. Just the idea of her lips against his has him sweating, suddenly panicked and nervous. What if she doesn’t want to kiss him?

  
Hunk isn’t the type of man to believe in purely physical relationships. Love is love, whether they bump uglies or not. His fear doesn’t stem from her ability to kiss him, but from her _desire_ to do so.

  
What if she meets him and he smells bad? What if his lips are chapped and it grosses her out? What if his personality is so bad she doesn’t want anything to do with him? What if he’s not good enough for her?

  
Hunk reminds himself to take a deep breath. Out the window, it’s mostly just plains and farms. There isn’t much to look at, but it’s a distraction from his thoughts.

  
Shay is not a shallow person, and he chastises himself lightly for letting himself think she was.

  
The lady across from him coughs, and he glances back down towards his phone. The screen reads 9:56.

  
He’s spent almost two hours daydreaming about her.

  
Man, he just can’t wait to meet her.

  
Settling into his chair, he falls easily back into his thoughts.

  
After Daydream Hunk and Daydream Shay have finished cooking, they would bring their dinner out into the living room to sit in front of the television. Shay is really into indie films, so they would watch her favourite while they eat. Hunk can’t say he’s really into it, but he knows it’s important to her. So he would watch, and listen as she spewed random notes and facts about the plot and the characters. He thinks he would like the way she would look, thinks he would like the passion dancing in her eyes. He wants to be the reason she smiles the way he knows she will, when he finally gets there.

  
He’s so happy, thinking about her. Thinking about all they would experience together.

  
His mind stays there, thinking about the way they would fit together; the way Shay’s head would feel tucked comfortably under his chin. He thinks she would fit perfectly, like she was made to compliment him. His missing puzzle piece.

  
The lady across from him opens a video on her phone, and he hears a cat meow quietly through the speaker. It’s then that he realizes he’s missed something vital in his imaginations.

  
Back when Shay had just moved into her dorm, her roommate had brought a cat with her. It was against school policy for the students to have animals, but somehow her roommate had found a loophole, and Muffin was here to stay. Shay had fallen head over heels in love with the cat, who was a frequent visitor in their calls and her snapchats.

Hunk likes animals; he’s always been able to get along quite easily with them. But something about the cat makes him nervous.

  
He flashes back to his daydream, of him and Shay curled together on the couch. They’re warm, and Hunk can feel himself starting to doze, her head tucked back under his chin. But then there is movement above his head, small paws indenting into the couch as the kitten walks across the back of the couch. He wants to ignore it, fall fast asleep with Shay in his arms, but then the kitten is pawing at his headband, trying to untangle it.

  
Dream Shay laughs, and gingerly shifts away from him. “Hey there kitty,” she reaches forward and the kitten happily falls into her lap.

  
Muffin purrs, and nuzzles her face into Shays hand. She looks so happy, staring down at the ball of fluff in her arms. Hunk realizes that the way he interacts with the kitten would have a major impact on the way they proceed through their relationship.

  
As previously mentioned, Hunk is a realist. But he was also a little over dramatic.

  
Dream Hunk takes a deep breath, and reaches his hand out for the kitten to sniff. His mind paints the outcome, and it’s not pretty.

  
In his head, Muffin’s green eyes stare deep into his own brown ones. He tries to keep his face open, tries to hold the nervousness at bay when it threatens to blow through him. Muffin glares some more, then his eyes flick down to Hunks outstretched hand, and hisses.

  
Hunk is quick to retreat, hand snapping back towards his side so quick his fingers make a snapping noise when they hit together.

  
“He’s just shy!” She would tell him. “He just needs to warm up to you.”

  
Hunk would smile, and laugh it off. But he knows, from then on his and the cat’s relationship would be ruined. And thus, his relationship with Shay would fall apart, just as quickly as it began.

  
The negative reaction Muffin had given him would forever taint his future encounters with the girl, because at the back of her mind, Hunk knows she’ll be thinking, “Well if Muffin doesn't trust him, why should I?”

  
It is of the utmost importance that Muffin likes him, no-- loves him. Maybe he could give her some treats beforehand, find a way to talk to the cat and bribe her into trusting him. Maybe with some fish? Some milk? Whatever he does, it needs to be immediate. Hunk knows how quickly Muffin could convince Shay to leave him, that he wasn’t worth her time-

  
He takes a deep breath.

  
In, and then out.

  
He really wants her cat to like him.

  
When he looks out the window, he’s surprised to notice buildings. He looks down at his phone, and anxiety shoots through him like ice. The time reads 11:54. Six minutes until the arrival time. Hunk lets his head slam into the window, the sound of his head hitting the glass almost as loud as his heart beating frantically inside his chest. The lady across from him looks up worriedly, but he doesn’t take notice.  
  
As the train begins to slow, Hunk feels his breath start to quicken. His heart beats wildly in his chest, hands sweaty and head light. The train stops, and Hunk watches as the lady across from him picks up her things. She sends Hunk an encouraging smile as she walks down the aisle, and he sighs.

  
Shay would be waiting just outside the train, watching for him to exit. He wonders what she’ll say first, what she’ll be wearing, how much harder he’ll fall for her.

  
Even without seeing her, he knows she’ll look beautiful.

  
With a few heavy breaths, he stands. He feels light, like he’s watching himself through another's eyes. Mechanically, he gathers his bag and starts for the exit. Just before he rounds the corner, he takes a deep breath, tightens his headband and pulls himself up as tall as he can. He can do this. It’ll be fine. Everything will work out alright.

  
He steps around the corner, and time stops. He meets dazzling honey brown eyes.

  
Shay stands in the middle of the platform, hands clasped together in her chest. She’s wearing black overalls, with white flowers dusted across. Underneath, she wears a yellow t-shirt. She steals Hunk’s breath away. When time seems to catch up to him, she smiles. Her beaming at him is enough to spur him into motion.

  
She’s sunlight; rays of luminosity heating up the dark, nervous parts of his heart. He can feel his anxiety fall away, almost as if he’s stepping out from under a shadow.

  
Hunk takes his first steps towards her, and it feels like coming home.

  
“Hi,” she whispers when he stands in front of her.

  
“Hey,” he responds, grin stretching wide over his lips.

  
Shay steps into his space, and kisses him.

  
He can’t help but kiss her back.

  
Hunk has a feeling that all his worrying, all his panic, had been for nothing. He is right where he is meant to be.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Sissiart @sissiarte on insta!  
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
